System and method for reducing shorting in memory cells

ABSTRACT

An MRAM device includes an array of magnetic memory cells having an upper conductive layer and a lower conductive layer separated by a barrier layer. To reduce the likelihood of electrical shorting across the barrier layers of the memory cells, spacers can be formed around the upper conductive layer and, after the layers of the magnetic memory cells have been etched, the memory cells can be oxidized to transform any conductive particles that are deposited along the sidewalls of the memory cells as byproducts of the etching process into nonconductive particles. Alternatively, the lower conductive layer can be repeatedly subjected to partial oxidation and partial etching steps such that only nonconductive particles can be thrown up along the sidewalls of the memory cells as byproducts of the etching process.

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATION

This application is a continuation application of U.S. application Ser.No. 10/684,967, filed Oct. 14, 2003, the disclosure of which isincorporated by reference herein.

This application is related to copending U.S. application Ser. No.11/412,582, filed on Apr. 27, 2006, the disclosure of which is herebyincorporated by reference. U.S. application Ser. No. 11/412,582 is adivisional application of U.S. application Ser. No. 10/684,967.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

1. Field of the Invention

The present invention relates to magnetic random access memory (MRAM)devices. More specifically, the present invention relates to reducingelectrical shorting in the memory cells of an MRAM device.

2. Description of the Related Art

Magnetic random access memory (MRAM) is a well-known form of memory. Inan MRAM device, digital bits of information can be stored as alternativedirections of magnetization in a magnetic storage element or cell. Thestorage elements may be simple structures, such as thin ferromagneticfilms, or more complex layered magnetic thin-film structures, such astunneling magnetoresistance (TMR) or giant magnetoresistance (GMR)elements.

An exemplary TMR memory cell comprises two magnetic layers separated bya barrier layer. One magnetic layer, referred to as the “pinned” layer,has a fixed magnetization direction, whereas the magnetization directionof the other magnetic layer, referred to as the “sense” layer, can bereversed by applying a magnetic field that is not strong enough toaffect the magnetization direction of the pinned layer.

A TMR memory cell can operate by allowing a quantum mechanical tunnelingof electrons from one magnetic layer to the other through the barrierlayer of the cell. The passage of electrons through the barrier layerdepends upon the magnetization direction of the sense layer relative tothat of the pinned layer. Electrons pass more freely when the magneticdirections of the layers are aligned and less freely when the magneticdirections of the layers are not aligned. Therefore, the state of amemory cell can be determined by observing the degree of electrontunneling through the barrier layer. GMR memory cells operate similarlyby sensing current flow or resistance through aligned or anti-alignedmagnetic layers, rather than by employing a tunneling dielectric.

A TMR memory cell cannot function properly unless the sense layer andthe pinned layer of the cell are electrically isolated from one another.If a short circuit occurs between these two layers, then there will beno tunneling of electrons through the barrier layer.

A plurality of magnetic memory cells can be organized into an arrayhaving any of a wide variety of configurations. One exemplaryconfiguration is a “cross-point” memory array, which comprises a firstset of parallel conductive lines covered by an insulating layer, overwhich lies a second set of parallel conductive lines, perpendicular tothe first lines. One set of conductive lines is referred to as the “bit”lines, and the other set of conductive lines is referred to as the“word” lines. The magnetic memory cells can be sandwiched between thebit lines and the word lines at their intersections.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

In one embodiment of the present invention, a method of forming amagnetic memory cell comprises providing a first conductive layer as ablanket layer, providing a barrier layer as a blanket layer over thefirst conductive layer, and providing a second conductive layer as ablanket layer over the barrier layer. The method further comprisesproviding a hard mask over the second conductive layer, wherein the hardmask defines the region in which the magnetic memory cell is formed,etching the second conductive layer to form an upper portion of themagnetic memory cell, and forming a spacer around the upper portion ofthe magnetic memory cell. The method further comprises etching thebarrier layer and the first conductive layer to form a lower portion ofthe magnetic memory cell, wherein conductive particles of the firstconductive layer may be thrown up along a sidewall of the magneticmemory cell as byproducts of the etching of the first conductive layer,and oxidizing the magnetic memory cell, thereby transforming theconductive particles into nonconductive particles.

In another embodiment, a method of forming a magnetic memory cellcomprises providing a first conductive layer, a barrier layer, and asecond conductive layer as blanket layers, providing a hard mask overthe second conductive layer, wherein the hard mask defines the region inwhich the magnetic memory cell is formed, and etching the secondconductive layer and the barrier layer to form an upper portion of themagnetic memory cell. The method further comprises partially oxidizingthe first conductive layer such that at least a portion of the firstconductive layer is transformed into an insulating material, at leastpartially etching the portion of the first conductive layer that wastransformed into an insulating material during the partial oxidizingstep, and repeating the partial oxidizing and partial etching stepsuntil the first conductive layer forms a lower portion of the magneticmemory cell.

In another embodiment, a magnetic memory cell comprises a lower layercomprising a first conductive material, a middle layer comprising aninsulating material, and an upper layer comprising a second conductivematerial. The magnetic memory cell further comprises a nonconductivelayer comprising an oxide of the first conductive material, wherein thenonconductive layer is coated along a sidewall of the magnetic memorycell such that it can be in contact with both the upper and lowerlayers.

In another embodiment, a magnetic memory cell comprises a lower layercomprising a first conductive material and a middle layer comprising aninsulating material. The magnetic memory cell further comprises an upperlayer comprising a second conductive material surrounded by a spacermaterial and at least one sidewall coated with oxidized particles of thefirst conductive material.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

These and other features and advantages of the invention will now bedescribed with reference to the drawings of certain preferredembodiments, which are intended to illustrate, and not to limit, theinvention. In the figures, like reference numerals are used to refer tolike elements.

FIG. 1 illustrates a plurality of conventional TMR magnetic memorycells.

FIG. 2 illustrates a plurality of magnetic memory cells with insulatingspacers adjacent to the sense layers.

FIGS. 3A-3G illustrate the formation of a magnetic memory cell inaccordance with one embodiment of the invention.

FIGS. 4A-4E illustrate the formation of a magnetic memory cell inaccordance with another embodiment of the invention.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

For purposes of illustration, various embodiments of the invention willbe described in the context of a TMR magnetic memory cell having aparticular configuration. The details associated with this specificconfiguration are set forth to illustrate, and not to limit, theinvention. For example, the invention can be implemented with TMRmagnetic memory cells having alternative configurations or with othertypes of memory cells. The scope of the invention is defined only by theappended claims.

FIG. 1 illustrates a plurality of conventional magnetic memory cells 10formed on a metal conducting line 12, preferably copper or aluminum,which is deposited on a substrate (not shown). The conducting line 12extends to the right and to the left of the page. The memory cells 10can be formed by first depositing a pinned layer 14 on the conductingline 12, depositing an insulating barrier layer 16 over the pinned layer14, and depositing a sense layer 18 over the barrier layer 16. Thepinned layer 14, barrier layer 16, and sense layer 18 can then bepatterned and etched to form the memory cells 10 using methods that arewell-known to those of skill in the art.

The pinned layer 14 may comprise a stack of magnetic and associatedadjacent sublayers. For example, the pinned layer 14 may comprise atantalum seed sublayer, a nickel-iron seed sublayer, a magnesium oxide,iridium-manganese, platinum-manganese or nickel-manganese pinningsublayer, and a nickel-iron, nickel-iron-cobalt, cobalt-iron ornickel-iron-chromium sublayer. The barrier layer 16 is preferably thinenough to allow the tunneling of electrons from the sense layer 18 tothe pinned layer 14. The barrier layer 16 may comprise, for example,aluminum oxide, having a thickness within the range of about 0.5 nm toabout 3 nm, preferably within the range of about 1 nm to about 2 nm.Like the pinned layer 14, the sense layer 18 may comprise a stack ofmagnetic and associated adjacent blanket sublayers. For example, thesense layer 18 may comprise a tantalum sublayer, a tungsten nitridesublayer, and a nickel-iron, nickel-iron-cobalt, cobalt-iron, cobalt orcopper sublayer.

During the fabrication of a conventional magnetic memory cell 10, it iscommon for a thin coating of conductive material 20 to form along thesidewalls of the memory cell 10, as illustrated in FIG. 1. This coatingof conductive material 20 may comprise, for example, particles of thepinned layer 14 that are thrown up along the sidewalls of the memorycell 10 during the process of etching through the pinned layer 14,particularly if an etching process with a physical component is used,such as an ion milling process or a reactive ion etch.

The thin coating of conductive material 20 along the sidewalls of thememory cell 10 is undesirable because it can create a conductive pathbetween the pinned layer 14 and the sense layer 18. Such a conductivepath creates an electrical short across the barrier layer 16 that canprevent the memory cell 10 from functioning properly. Therefore, thecoating of conductive material 20 along the sidewalls of the memorycells 10 can undesirably reduce the yield of the manufacturing process.Although an additional cleaning step can be performed to remove thecoating of conductive material 20 from the sidewalls of the memory cells10, such an additional step can add cost to the manufacturing processand can also have a harmful effect on the remaining structures.

FIG. 2 illustrates a plurality of magnetic memory cells 10 with spacers22 adjacent to the sense layers 18. The spacers 22 preferably comprise anonconductive material, such as, for example, silicon nitride,diamond-like carbon, silicon carbide, or an oxide such as silicon oxideor aluminum oxide. The spacers 22 can be formed using a variety ofwell-known techniques. For example, the sense layer 18 can be patternedand etched with a hard or resist mask in place, followed by thedeposition of a blanket layer of nonconductive material. The resultingstructure can then be subjected to a spacer etch, followed by etchingthrough the underlying pinned layer 14.

Although a coating of conductive material 20 can form along thesidewalls of the memory cells 10, the spacers 22 advantageously reducethe likelihood that such a coating will form a conductive path betweenthe sense layer 18 and the pinned layer 14 of a given memory cell 10 bylargely protecting the sense layer 18 during etching of the pinnedlayers 14. Therefore, the spacers 22 can advantageously reduce thenumber of memory cells 10 that short out, thereby increasing the yieldof the manufacturing process. Even in a memory cell 10 having a spacer22 adjacent to the sense layer 18, however, an electrical short acrossthe barrier layer 16 can still occur due to, inter alia, a small pointof contact 24 between the coating of conductive material 20 and thesense layer 18.

FIGS. 3A-3G illustrate a process for forming a magnetic memory cell 10in accordance with one embodiment of the invention. Although the memorycell 10 of the illustrated embodiment comprises a TMR magnetic memorycell having a particular configuration, the memory cell 10 could have awide variety of alternative configurations. For example, in theillustrated embodiment, the pinned layer 14 is the bottom layer of thememory cell 10. In other embodiments, the pinned layer 14 may be the toplayer of the memory cell 10. These and many other variations will becomeapparent to those of skill in the art in view of the present disclosure.

The process of the illustrated embodiment begins by depositing a pinnedlayer 14, a barrier layer 16, and a sense layer 18 on a conductive line12. As discussed above, the pinned layer 14 may comprise a stack ofmagnetic and associated adjacent sublayers, the barrier layer 16preferably comprises a nonconductive material through which electrontunneling can occur, and the sense layer 18 may comprise a stack ofmagnetic and associated adjacent sublayers.

These layers can be formed using a wide variety of well-known methodsand materials. For example, in some embodiments, both the pinned layer14 and the sense layer 18 comprise a ferromagnetic material that is analloy of any of several metals, such as, for example, iron, nickel,and/or cobalt having a thickness preferably within the range of about 1nm to about 30 nm, more preferably within the range of about 2.5 nm toabout 20 nm, and still more preferably within the range of about 5 nm toabout 10 nm. In some embodiments, the barrier layer 16 comprises anoxide of a metal, such as, for example, aluminum oxide, having athickness preferably within the range of about 0.5 nm to about 3 nm,more preferably within the range of about 1 nm to about 2 nm. Those ofordinary skill in the art will understand that these materials andthickness ranges are exemplary, and that different materials havingdifferent thicknesses could be used.

As illustrated in FIG. 3A, a hard mask 30 can be deposited as a blanketlayer over the sense layer 18, and then patterned and etched using avariety of conventional materials and methods. For example, the hardmask 30 may comprise Si₃N₄, SiO₃N₄, SiC, or any other suitable hard maskmaterial, having a thickness preferably within the range of about 100 Åto about 5000 Å, more preferably within the range of about 500 Å toabout 2000 Å. The hard mask 30 can be patterned using a number ofwell-known techniques, such as, for example, conventionalphotolithography and etching processes.

As illustrated in FIG. 3B, the sense layer 18 is etched in the areasthat are not covered by the hard mask 30. This etch can be performedusing a variety of well-known processes, such as, for example, ionmilling, reactive ion etching, or chemical etching. If a processinvolving a chemical etchant is selected, any of a number of well-knownetchants can be used, such as, for example, CO₂—NH₃ or CO—NH₃. Theetching of the sense layer 18 preferably stops at the barrier layer 16.The hard mask 30 is also partially etched during the etching of thesense layer 18.

After the sense layer 18 is etched, the resulting structure can beoptionally oxidized to transform the outer portions of the sense layer18 into a nonconductive material (not shown). This optional oxidationstep can be performed using an oxidant such as, for example, O₃, at aflow rate preferably within the range of about 1 sccm to about 1000sccm, more preferably within the range of about 100 sccm to about 500sccm. In other embodiments, this optional oxidation step involves usingO₂ as an oxidant during a plasma oxidation process. Because thisoptional oxidation step reduces the amount of conductive surface areaaround the sides of the sense layer 18, it advantageously reduces thelikelihood of a conductive path forming between the pinned layer 14 andthe sense layer 18.

As illustrated in FIG. 3C, a blanket layer of spacer material 22 isdeposited over the existing layers. The spacer material 22 can be anysuitable material (e.g., Si₃N₄) but preferably comprises a low kelectrical insulator, with k value preferably less than 3.5, morepreferably less than 3.0. A variety of materials exist that can be usedas the spacer material 22, such as, for example, silicon nitride,diamond-like carbon, silicon carbide, or an oxide such as silicon oxideor aluminum oxide.

The spacer material 22 can be deposited using any suitable process, suchas, for example, physical vapor deposition or chemical vapor deposition.In some embodiments, the thickness of the layer of spacer material 22preferably falls within the range of about 5 nm to about 100 nm, andmore preferably within the range of about 20 nm to about 40 nm.

As illustrated in FIG. 3D, the layer of spacer material 22 is etched,preferably using an anisotropic etch process that preferentially etchesthe horizontal portions of the layer of spacer material 22 relative tothe vertical portions of the layer of spacer material 22. Therefore, anetching process with a physical component is preferably used, such as anion milling process or a reactive ion etch. In some embodiments, forexample, a reactive ion etch is used with an appropriate etchant for theselected spacer material 22. For example, in some embodiments, thespacer material 22 comprises silicon nitride and the etchant comprisesCF₄ or CHF₃. In other exemplary embodiments, the spacer material 22comprises diamond-like carbon and the etchant comprises oxygen-basedplasma. In other exemplary embodiments, the spacer material 22 comprisessilicon carbide and the etchant comprises CF₄, CH₂F₂, or C₂F₆.

In the embodiment illustrated in FIG. 3D, the spacer etch process stopsat the barrier layer 16. In other embodiments, the spacer etch processcontinues until the pinned layer 14 is reached. In these embodiments,the barrier layer 16 is also etched as part of the same process thatetches the layer of spacer material 22.

As illustrated in FIG. 3E, after the spacer etch process is complete,the remaining layers are etched. In some embodiments, the process usedto etch the remaining layers is substantially similar to the processused to etch the sense layer 18. This process may comprise, for example,ion milling, reactive ion etching, or chemical etching, and may use anetchant such as, for example, CO₂—NH₃ or CO—NH₃. The hard mask 30 isalso partially etched during the etching of the pinned layer 14.

As the pinned layer 14 is etched, a thin coating of conductive material20 may form along the sidewalls of the memory cell 10. The thin coatingof conductive material 20 may comprise particles of the pinned layer 14that are thrown up as byproducts of the etching process of the pinnedlayer 14. As discussed above, the thin coating of conductive material 20may form a conductive path between the pinned layer 14 and the senselayer 18, thereby creating an electrical short across the barrier layer16 that can cause the memory cell 10 to malfunction. Although thespacers 22 minimize the amount of exposed conductive surface area aroundthe sides of the sense layer 18, and thus reduce the likelihood of aconductive path forming between the pinned layer 14 and the sense layer18, such a conductive path can still exist if there is even only a smallpoint of contact 24 between the thin coating of conductive material 20and the sense layer 18.

Accordingly, to further reduce the likelihood of a conductive pathforming between the pinned layer 14 and the sense layer 18, the thincoating of conductive material 20 can be oxidized to transform theconductive material 20 into a nonconductive material 36, as illustratedin FIG. 3F. This oxidation step can be performed using an oxidant suchas, for example, O₃, at a flow rate preferably within the range of about1 sccm to about 1000 sccm, more preferably within the range of about 100sccm to about 500 sccm. In other embodiments, this oxidation stepinvolves using O₂ as an oxidant during a plasma oxidation process. Itshould be understood that, although the thin coating of nonconductivematerial 36 is illustrated as one continuous layer in FIGS. 3E-3F, itmay be formed as a discontinuous layer.

As illustrated in FIG. 3G, the remaining portion of the hard mask 30 isremoved to complete the process of forming the memory cell 10. Byoxidizing the conductive material 20, thereby transforming it into anonconductive material 36, the likelihood of a conductive path formingbetween the pinned layer 14 and the sense layer 18 due to a small pointof contact 24 between the layer of nonconductive material 36 and thesense layer 18 is substantially reduced. Accordingly, the number ofmemory cells 10 within an MRAM array that malfunction due to electricalshorts is reduced, and the yield of the manufacturing process for theMRAM device is advantageously improved.

FIGS. 4A-4G illustrate an alternative process for forming a magneticmemory cell 10 in accordance with one embodiment of the invention, whichis somewhat similar to the embodiment of the invention described above.For example, as illustrated in FIGS. 4A-4B, the process begins with thesame steps described above in connection with FIGS. 3A-3B.

In the present embodiment, however, after the sense layer 18 is etched,the resulting structure is repeatedly subjected to alternating partialoxidation and partial etch steps until the memory cell 10 is formed. Insome embodiments, the partial oxidation steps are performed bysubjecting the structure to plasma oxidation using a process that issubstantially similar to the optional oxidation step described above inconnection with FIG. 3B. As illustrated in FIG. 4C, when the structureis subjected to plasma oxidation, the outer or sidewall portions 40 ofthe sense layer 18 and the upper portion 42 of the pinned layer 14 aretransformed into a nonconductive material, except for the portions thatare protected under the hard mask 30.

As illustrated in FIG. 4D, the pinned layer 14 can then be partiallyetched because, even if particles from the upper portion of the pinnedlayer 14 are deposited along the sidewalls of the structure asbyproducts of the etching process, the particles are nonconductive andthus unlikely to cause an electrical short across the barrier layer 16.In addition, the grown sidewall spacer in the form of outer portions 40further reduces the likelihood of a short forming across the barrierlayer 16. To perform the partial etch of the pinned layer 14, an etchingprocess with a physical component is preferably used, such as an ionmilling process or a reactive ion etch. The partial etch preferablystops before the portion of the pinned layer 14 below the upper portion42 is reached, such that only nonconductive particles tend to be thrownup along the sidewalls of the memory cell 10 as byproducts of theetching process.

The steps illustrated in FIGS. 4C-4D can be repeated cyclically untilthe entire pinned layer 14 has been oxidized and etched. In a preferredembodiment, both the oxidation and the etching steps can be performed insitu within the same tool. Then, as illustrated in FIG. 4E, theremaining portion of the hard mask 30 can be removed to complete theprocess of forming the memory cell 10. By repeatedly partially oxidizingand etching the pinned layer 14 such that only nonconductive particlescan be deposited along the sidewalls of the memory cell 10 during thefabrication process, the likelihood of a conductive path forming betweenthe pinned layer 14 and the sense layer 18 is substantially reduced.Accordingly, the number of memory cells 10 within an MRAM array thatmalfunction due to electrical shorts is reduced, and the yield of themanufacturing process for the MRAM device is advantageously improved.

In addition, the process illustrated in FIGS. 4A-4E is advantageouslyself-aligning because the region under the hard mask 30 is protectedfrom both oxidation and etching. Therefore, although the processinvolves repeating a series of alternating oxidation and etching steps,the process involves only a single masking step. Because no additionalmasks are needed to perform the alternating oxidation and etching steps,the process can advantageously be performed at a relatively low cost.

Although this invention has been described in terms of certain preferredembodiments, other embodiments that are apparent to those of ordinaryskill in the art, including embodiments that do not provide all of thefeatures and advantages set forth herein, are also within the scope ofthis invention. Accordingly, the scope of the present invention isdefined only by reference to the appended claims.

1. A method of forming a magnetic memory cell, comprising: providing afirst conductive layer as a blanket layer; providing a barrier layer asa blanket layer over the first conductive layer; providing a secondconductive layer as a blanket layer over the barrier layer; providing ahard mask over the second conductive layer, wherein the hard maskdefines the region in which the magnetic memory cell is formed; etchingthe second conductive layer to form an upper portion of the magneticmemory cell; forming a spacer around the upper portion of the magneticmemory cell; etching the barrier layer and the first conductive layer toform a lower portion of the magnetic memory cell, wherein conductiveparticles of the first conductive layer may be thrown up along asidewall of the magnetic memory cell as byproducts of the etching of thefirst conductive layer; and oxidizing the magnetic memory cell, therebytransforming the conductive particles into nonconductive particles. 2.The method of claim 1, further comprising oxidizing the outer portionsof the second conductive layer after it is etched to form the upperportion of the magnetic memory cell.
 3. The method of claim 2, whereinoxidizing the outer portions of the second conductive layer comprisessubjecting the outer portions of the second conductive layer to plasmaoxidation.
 4. The method of claim 2, wherein oxidizing the outerportions of the second conductive layer comprises using O₃ as anoxidant, at a flow rate within the range of about 100 sccm to about 500sccm.
 5. The method of claim 1, wherein the first conductive layercomprises a first sublayer comprising tantalum, a second sublayercomprising nickel-iron, a third sublayer comprising magnesium oxide,iridium-manganese, platinum-manganese or nickel-manganese, and a fourthsublayer comprising nickel-iron or cobalt-iron.
 6. The method of claim5, wherein the first conductive layer has a thickness within the rangeof about 1 nm to about 30 nm.
 7. The method of claim 1, wherein thebarrier layer comprises aluminum oxide and has a thickness within therange of about 0.5 nm to about 3 nm.
 8. The method of claim 1, whereinthe second conductive layer comprises a first sublayer comprisingtantalum, a second sublayer comprising tungsten nitride, and a thirdsublayer comprising nickel-iron, cobalt or copper.
 9. The method ofclaim 8, wherein the second conductive layer has a thickness within therange of about 1 nm to about 30 nm
 10. The method of claim 1, whereinthe hard mask comprises a material selected from the group consisting ofsilicon nitride, silicon oxynitride, and silicon carbide.
 11. The methodof claim 10, wherein the hard mask has a thickness within the range ofabout 500 Å to about 2000 Å.
 12. The method of claim 1, wherein etchingthe second conductive layer comprises ion milling, reactive ion etching,or chemical etching.
 13. The method of claim 12, wherein etching thesecond conductive layer comprises using CO₂—NH₃ or CO—NH₃ as an etchant.14. The method of claim 1, wherein forming a spacer comprises:depositing a layer of nonconductive material as a blanket layer over theupper portion of the memory cell; and anisotropically etching the layerof nonconductive material such that the horizontal portions of the layerare preferentially removed relative to the vertical portions of thelayer.
 15. The method of claim 14, wherein the layer of nonconductivematerial has a thickness within the range of about 5 nm to about 100 nm.16. The method of claim 14, wherein anisotropically etching the layer ofnonconductive material comprises ion milling or reactive ion etching.17. The method of claim 16, wherein the nonconductive material comprisessilicon nitride and anisotropically etching the layer of nonconductivematerial comprises using a fluorocarbon as an etchant.
 18. The method ofclaim 16, wherein the nonconductive material comprises diamond-likecarbon and anisotropically etching the layer of nonconductive materialcomprises using oxygen-based plasma as an etchant.
 19. The method ofclaim 16, wherein the nonconductive material comprises silicon carbideand anisotropically etching the layer of nonconductive materialcomprises using a fluorocarbon as an etchant.
 20. The method of claim 1,wherein the spacer comprises a low k electrical insulator having a kvalue of less than about 3.5.
 21. The method of claim 20, wherein thespacer comprises a material selected from the group consisting ofsilicon nitride, diamond-like carbon, silicon carbide, silicon oxide,and aluminum oxide.
 22. The method of claim 1, wherein etching thebarrier layer and the first conductive layer comprises ion milling,reactive ion etching, or chemical etching.
 23. The method of claim 22,wherein etching the barrier layer and the first conductive layercomprises using CO₂—NH₃ or CO—NH₃ as an etchant.
 24. The method of claim1, wherein oxidizing the memory cell comprises subjecting the memorycell to plasma oxidation.
 25. The method of claim 1, wherein the memorycell comprises a tunneling magnetoresistance (TMR) memory cell.
 26. Amethod of forming a magnetic memory cell, comprising: providing a firstconductive layer, a barrier layer, and a second conductive layer asblanket layers; providing a hard mask over the second conductive layer,wherein the hard mask defines the region in which the magnetic memorycell is formed; etching the second conductive layer and the barrierlayer to form an upper portion of the magnetic memory cell; partiallyoxidizing the first conductive layer such that at least a portion of thefirst conductive layer is transformed into an insulating material; atleast partially etching the portion of the first conductive layer thatwas transformed into an insulating material during the partial oxidizingstep; and repeating the partial oxidizing and partial etching stepsuntil the first conductive layer forms a lower portion of the magneticmemory cell.
 27. The method of claim 26, wherein the first conductivelayer comprises a first sublayer comprising tantalum, a second sublayercomprising nickel-iron, a third sublayer comprising magnesium oxide,iridium-manganese, platinum-manganese or nickel-manganese, and a fourthsublayer comprising nickel-iron or cobalt-iron.
 28. The method of claim27, wherein the first conductive layer has a thickness within the rangeof about 1 nm to about 30 nm.
 29. The method of claim 26, wherein thebarrier layer comprises aluminum oxide and has a thickness within therange of about 0.5 nm to about 3 nm.
 30. The method of claim 26, whereinthe second conductive layer comprises a first sublayer comprisingtantalum, a second sublayer comprising tungsten nitride, and a thirdsublayer comprising nickel-iron, cobalt or copper.
 31. The method ofclaim 30, wherein the second conductive layer has a thickness within therange of about 1 nm to about 30 nm
 32. The method of claim 26, whereinthe hard mask comprises a material selected from the group consisting ofsilicon nitride, silicon oxynitride, and silicon carbide.
 33. The methodof claim 32, wherein the hard mask has a thickness within the range ofabout 500 Å to about 2000 Å.
 34. The method of claim 26, wherein etchingthe second conductive layer and the barrier layer comprises ion milling,reactive ion etching, or chemical etching.
 35. The method of claim 34,wherein etching the second conductive layer and the barrier layercomprises using CO₂—NH₃ or CO—NH₃ as an etchant.
 36. The method of claim26, wherein partially oxidizing the first conductive layer comprises aplasma oxidation process.
 37. The method of claim 26, wherein partiallyetching the first conductive layer comprises ion milling, reactive ionetching, or chemical etching.
 38. The method of claim 37, whereinpartially etching the first conductive layer comprises using CO₂—NH₃ orCO—NH₃ as an etchant.
 39. The method of claim 26, wherein the memorycell comprises a tunneling magnetoresistance (TMR) memory cell.